Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Gear Forum :: Hey I do mess with alcohol stoves!
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BuckFlicks |
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boonie |
quote BuckFlicks: "What sort of fuel do these stoves use? Alcohol gel? Isopropyl? What percentage? " Denatured alcohol available at hardware stores is the best bet, but HEET gas line anti freeze is often used. |
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cowdoc |
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mr.barley |
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Grizzlyman |
quote butthead: "Welding shops, Amazon, Ebay. Look for carbon fiber welding blankets. I ues 1/4 inch thick, have some 14mm. Wear gloves when handling (carbon fiber). Hey butthead- do you find the carbon blanket is that much better than just pink insulation? |
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butthead |
quote Grizzlyman: Hey butthead- do you find the carbon blanket is that much better than just pink insulation? " Yes for wick. Higer heat threshold, longer lasting, not quite as nasty to handle. But not for cozy cup or pot insulation, as it will shed very tiny bits that can itch or get air-born by handling (contaminating the food you just prepped). Far as fuel, alcohol is made from many things and some research on the types and hazards should be done by anyone using alcohol fuel. Methanol-wood alcohol Ethanol-alcohol Isopropyl-rubbing alcohol You should also know what denatured alcohol is. I use locally available methylated spirits. Klean-Strip - Denatured Alcohol Solvent, or Sunnyside Denatured Alcohol Solvent (shown by Cowdoc). Yellow bottle HEET is methanol/ethanol mix that works well (a bit more expensive), Red bottle HEET is an isopropyl that has much less heat potential and is smoky. Alcohols big disadvantage is that it takes 2 to 3 times as much to cook/heat the same either canister of liquid gas/kerosene. butthead |
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mr.barley |
quote butthead: "Have you tried everclear yet, Ken?quote Grizzlyman: Hey butthead- do you find the carbon blanket is that much better than just pink insulation? " |
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butthead |
Burns great and clean, but too expensive. Before using Everclear I'd just have a stiff drink and forget about cooking! butthead |
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MrBadExample |
I have a bunch of materials laying around for making fancee feasts. If anyone would be interested in making some let me know. |
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Grandma L |
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Grandma L |
quote butthead: "quote Grandma L: "Careful!" Yeah, I would probably blow or burn myself up with one of those - Jet boil for me. You are so good at all that stuff. Give me a sewing machine any day. To each his own! |
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cowdoc |
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WonderMonkey |
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quark2222 |
Tomster |
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butthead |
1.3oz on my scale. With 1oz alcohol it boiled 16oz cold tap water in 7 minutes, using a 600ml Ti mug. Total burn time on 1oz was 12.5 minutes. The pot stand is part of the stove. Not something I like to really cook with, but heating water for coffee and soups or rehydrating dried meals it works fine. And it's hardly noticed in my daypack. butthead |
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butthead |
quote Grandma L: "Careful!" Ya posted before the photos were loaded GL! They are cheap and fun to putz with! butthead |
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BasecampMom |
I obviously watched WAY too many Shug videos because I now have a Fancee Feest stove exactly as you described, a foster (beer can) pot, and an imusa pot. They all nest together and weigh 181.7 grams total (all three, plus lids). Its a hikers dream. |
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butthead |
Fiberglass wicking is often used but does not last as long. Windscreen available in different sizes and colors. butthead |
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muddyfeet |
Testing the BudLight alcohol stove: 1.8fl oz of fuel will bring 800mL of water to a boil. (800mL is enough for a hot meal and hot drink) 0.7fl oz will bring 300mL to the perfect temp for coffee/tea. The silence of an alcohol stove can't be beat for coffee at first light or for evening tea at sunset. |
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Grizzlyman |
1. We did full on cooking - fry fish / make pancakes on a stove like buttheads in the bwca last year- it actually works pretty well. 2. I tested a bud light stove last yr and found the boil time was significantly faster with the wick- type- like 7:15 to 8:30. In fact the bud light stove was the worst of the three I tested. 3. I made mine with slightly bigger cans than butthead -more stable that way. A tomato can and a bean can. These are steel also instead of a fragile cat can. AND an oil filter is a perfect cover to snuff and protect this size stove. |
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dsk |
I have made some during the years, and the pepsi can stove is definitely one best for use when it is really cold, my version is slightly modified, to get longer cooking time, I made it higher, but when the internal height is greater than the with of the center hole, it will not work well in cold climate. The distance to the bottom of the kettle is also of great importance, it should be 1 inch, or slightly more! Wind protection may reduce the needed amount of fuel considerably! dsk |
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dsk |
The best and most simple alcohol stove I made, and I did not actually beleieve in it befor I tested it out, it was so simple. The chimny stove: http://zenstoves.net/ChimneyStove.htm My version was a alu spray can, drilling a circle of 8 mm holes in a hight of 50 mm from bottom, and the leave a rim of 1.5 cm over the holes, and thats all. Superb! dsk |
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pastorjsackett |
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bwcasolo |
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Grizzlyman |
FYI- if anyone interested in boil times- I posted this on some old thread I couldn't find- but I did some testing last year on a tomcat (fanceefeast), bud light bottle stove, and the *best reviewed* popcan pennystove I could find Boil times for 2 cups of water were: Bud light bottle: 8:46 Popcan/penny: 7:58 Tomcat (fanceefeast): 7:17 |
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butthead |
Still have not considered using on a multi day trip, but they do get used on day hikes. butthead |
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muddyfeet |
I think it's great to see the variety of materials that go into these- some good creative garage engineering with mostly scrap materials. I think 'alcohol stoving' could be considered an art form all its own. |
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pswith5 |
quote butthead: "Hi Tom, the carbon fiber felt is the wick, goes between the outer tuna can and the inner tomato paste can. It is the wick for the alcohol flame.where can one get this carbon fiber wick/felt? |
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butthead |
butthead |
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FLATLINER |
PS, thank you for the info on Link etiquette. |
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FLATLINER |
For those who are interested in the screen mentioned earlier in the thread, I noticed that the link on Amazon is sold out. Here is another option but the free shipping is a slow boat from China so plan accordingly: AliExpress WindScreen |
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ECpizza |
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butthead |
Easy and simple courtesy to members. The "slow boats" are often a thing of the past. Most is warehoused in the USA now. I often get small parts within days of ordering even with China as point of origin. Those screens are pretty good. I look for the cheapest and sized for my application, I have 2 different hights. You can take them apart and add pannels if needed. I still go with MSR style al. screens when packing though. butthead |